The Curve, a Sheffield-based technology consultancy with an office in Leeds, has taken investment from Glyn Heath, the founder and former chief executive of an IT services and software provider, to pursue growth that includes mergers and acquisitions. The company described the investment as a significant sum and did not give a figure.
Founded in 2019 by brothers Paul and James Ridgway, The Curve helps organisations design and deliver software and digital transformation projects. It is based at Oxo House on Sheffield’s riverside and says it has helped more than 100 data-rich organisations build and enhance business-critical systems, in sectors including healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture and professional services.
Acquisitions and a holding company
The company is looking for acquisition targets in adjacent areas such as IT managed services, cybersecurity and data. It has formed a new holding company as part of the plan, and The Curve will remain the group’s consultancy arm as complementary businesses are brought together under one umbrella.
The strategy is aimed at the mid-market: organisations that are too large for smaller consultancies but too price sensitive to engage global players.
Sales push in Leeds and Manchester
The Curve is stepping up business development in Sheffield, in Leeds, where it opened an office last year, and in Manchester. It has hired Claire Howarth as head of sales, who has 25 years’ experience driving revenue growth and building teams, and Daniel Winfield as head of marketing, who joined from a global technology consultancy.
Heath has advised The Curve since 2023 and sits on its advisory board, which is chaired by Paul Howell. He has spent four decades in the tech sector and has supported a number of scale-up businesses since exiting his company in 2017.
“I felt an immediate affinity with the team at The Curve and I could see a strong opportunity in the mid-market for the kind of work they do,” Heath said.
Paul Ridgway, chief executive of The Curve, said: “This is an aggressive strategy and one we’re pursuing with real intent.”
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